Department of Political Science

Many great thinkers have necessarily occupied themselves with key political questions: What is the best form of government: How should the economic system be organized? How should relationships between the individual and society be arranged?...given the intermeshing of government and society at large, most major issues today are essentially political issues", points out Dr. Alton Slane, Professor in the Political Science Department.

What Do You Do With a Political Science Degree?

Dr. Slane continues: "Few entering freshmen really know what they want to do with their lives, and if they think they know, the chances are they'll change their minds".

But one thing is certain: They will benefit from a program of study that connects them to many major career opportunities.

Political Science is important in another way. Our increasingly complex society needs literate and informed people who can take part in the political process and maintain the viability of the democratic system. Such participation is vital because the policy outputs of the political process profoundly affect our personal well-being, our national survival, and even the survival of the planet. Educating such individuals is the central goal of our department. "Recent political science majors from Muhlenberg College have entered most of the country's top law schools and graduate schools. Our graduates have proven that political science is an excellent preparation for careers in both domestic and international business, government service at all levels, banking, and teaching, to name some of the more obvious possibilities, Dr. Slane notes.

Examples of careers in addition to the above include: policy analyst, librarian, travel agent, international business, non-governmental organizations such as the American Red Cross, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, stockbroker, risk analyst, professor, lawyer, diplomat.